Wal-Mart told reporters in late May that its research division — Walmart Labs — was creating a food subscription service, but the company didn’t offer many details.
It works like this: users can sign up for the service at www.goodies.co . The monthly price is almost half of the total value of the items if they were purchased separately, according to Wal-Mart. If customers like the products, they can purchase full-size versions on the Goodies Co. website. Goodies has also created a social community online where subscribers can post reviews to earn loyalty points. The points can be redeemed in the future for items in the store.
Ravi Raj, vice president of products at San Bruno, Calif.-based Walmart Labs said it wanted to start a subscription service for food because it is “inherently very social.”
“People love to talk about new food products,” Raj said.
Wal-Mart, the world’s largest food retailer, is also looking to use Goodies as a way to spot food trends in its stores.